The Secret Tower II :: Bloodbrat
by SugaredPoison
Summary: Cassius Galdeon lived in darkness until her secret was discovered and Harry Potter brought her into the world of the light...Now, her life in the hands of Lucius Malfoy, Harry must race to save her before the world as they know it comes to an end...
1. Chapter 1 :: Never Say Goodbye

**Cassius Galdeon was kept one of Hogwarts' biggest secrets for most of her young life, but her presence became known when she was discovered one night by none other than Harry Potter himself, and her life of darkness was brought into the light at last. All seemed well, until what was believed to be a wondrous change turned out to be the very thing that was feared the most. Now, her life and fate in the hands of her natural father, Lucius Malfoy, Harry and his friends must race to save her, before the world as they know it comes to an end...  
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_Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation._

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"NO!" cried Hermione Granger, her eyes wide with fright.

Lucius Malfoy threw his head back and laughed, his cold blue eyes dancing as he looked back down at her. "Oh, but my dear little Mudblood," he said almost gleefully, "_yes_! In just six days time, the Dark Lord will take my precious daughter as his bride, and their union will bring the Villdawicks and the Dark Order together, bringing forth the largest, most powerful force that your thick little brain could ever possibly imagine!"

"Why won't you do something?!" Ron Weasley raged at Dumbledore, who had been standing, the entire time, at the entrance to the Great Hall, merely watching the events that had just taken place. "Why don't you stop him?!"

"There is nothing he can do," Lucius sneered. "Even the magnificent _Dumbledore_ is helpless against fate, and he knows it."

"You won't get away with this," growled Harry Potter, who was glaring hatefully up at Lucius.

Lucius raised an eyebrow at him in feigned interest. "Won't I? Look here, boy. You may have been successful in defeating the Dark Lord twice before, but the odds were fairly even then. When you came face-to-face with him and his faithful servants, it was quite a bit more difficult, wasn't it? Fortunately for you, Mummy and Daddy made a special appearance and saved your pathetic little life.

"But now...Add an army of the most powerful, most feared vampires in the world, and your chances of survival are completely obliterated."

Harry shook his head in disbelief, looking desperately at Dumbledore. "How can you just stand there and let this happen?!" he cried.

"I'm afraid, Harry," said Dumbledore sadly, "that Lucius is right. There is nothing I can do."

Harry turned on Lucius. "You...you've been planning this all along, haven't you?" he asked coldly.

"How very perceptive of you, Potter," Lucius replied, narrowing his eyes. "We have all been patiently waiting for this event for many years. Admittedly, the fall of the Dark Lord brought great worry that our work was for naught, but now that he is risen once more, dear Cassius' fate is sealed."

Ron jumped to his feet, facing Dumbledore. "I don't understand! Why is there nothing you can do?"

"I worried for many years that something like this would happen," Dumbledore replied. "But, I had expected merely the Villdawicks to come and attempt to take Cassius. We, the teachers, worked hard, ever since Cassius was a small child, to prepare for that day. But this is far worse than I ever could have possibly imagined. To have not just the Villdawicks, but Voldemort, as well...I was not prepared for something so horribly severe..."

"Brilliant, isn't it?" asked Lucius happily, his chest puffing out with pride. "Now, I'd love to stay and chat, but..." he smiled mischievously, "I have a wedding to plan."

Sweeping away toward the entrance, Lucius paused for a moment beside his son, Draco Malfoy, who had watched the whole scene, his eyes wide with shock.

"Problem, Draco?" he asked, looking at Malfoy carefully. Malfoy quickly shook his head, and smiled.

"None at all, Father," he said in a somewhat proud tone. He looked back at the ruins of the Gryffindor table, and the spot where Cassius had stood before Lucius had cast the Imperious Curse over her, and had the Occamy carry her away. "Quite impressive."

Lucius smiled thinly at him, and continued on his way, casting a sideways glance at Dumbledore as he passed.

Hermione buried her face in her hands and cried, her sobs echoing in the empty hall. Harry looked around him at the mess of broken glass, splintered wood, shattered platters and goblets, and suddenly began to shake his head hard.

"_No_," he said firmly, turning to face Dumbledore, his eyes blazing. "This is _not_ going to happen. I won't let it."

"Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "What can you possibly do? You may be a match for Voldemort one-on-one, but Lucius was right. When you add in the whole of the Villdawick clan to the equation, there is almost no possibility of succeeding."

"_Almost_," repeated Harry. "There's still a chance. And I am going to take it. _Even_," he added, looking over his shoulder at Hermione and Ron, "if I have to do it alone."

"You won't, Harry," said Ron, coming to stand beside him. A moment later, Hermione appeared at his other side, her cheeks stained with tears. She simply nodded, placing a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. They all looked to Dumbledore.

The old wizard felt a surge of affection as he gazed back at the three of them. For a fleeting moment, he thought to himself, _Perhaps_...

"W-what's going on?" came a voice from the front of the room. They all turned to see Snape, who was just getting slowly, groggily, to his feet, a thin line of blood trickling down his forehead.

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "I think perhaps you should hurry off to the hospital wing, Severus," he said. "I'm afraid I have bad news, and it would best be heard lying down."

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**Reviews are so lovely, they make my day...**

**:)**

**~SP  
**


	2. Chapter 2 :: Friends & Enemies

**_Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation._**

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Snape narrowed his eyes, looking at Dumbledore carefully.

"I don't need the hospital wing, I'm perfectly fine. Now, tell me what's happened," he said, his eyes moving around the room. His face suddenly whitened, and an expression of fear and realization crossed it. "_Where's Cassius_?"

"Severus--" began Dumbledore.

"Lucius Malfoy and that...that _thing_ took her!" cried Harry, rushing forward, interrupting Dumbledore.

"WHAT!?" Snape bellowed, his face twisting in rage. "WHERE DID HE TAKE HER?"

"Calm down, Severus," said Dumbledore gently. "We don't know where they've gone to."

"M-Mr. Malfoy said...he s-s-said..." Hermione tried to speak, but choked on her words as she burst into tears again. Ron put an arm around her, pulling her into his shoulder.

"He said he was taking her someplace where nobody could find her," he finished for Hermione. "He said there's going to be a wedding..."

"A _wedding_?" Snape asked shrilly. "For whom?"

"Cassius," said Harry, his voice strained with anger. "Cassius...and Voldemort."

Snape's face blanched, his eyes widening, and his mouth dropping open. He shook his head slowly, in terrified disbelief. "No..."

"It won't happen," Harry continued. "We're going to save her."

"And how do you _children_ plan on doing that?" Snape snapped.

"By working_ together_," Harry replied heatedly. "It's the only way we_ can _do it, the only way to save Cassius."

Snape looked at Dumbledore. "What are we going to do?" he asked, sounding desperate.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "The best we can. I fear nothing we do will change things. But," he continued, looking at Harry, "we have to try."

Harry nodded in satisfaction, and turned to Ron and Hermione. "So, we're in agreement? You two, myself, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape--"

"And me," interrupted a voice behind them. Harry whirled around, and his eyes widened with complete surprise. Malfoy stood, looking at him, his expression very odd. It was one Harry had rarely seen on Malfoy's face - fear.

"_You_?" spat Hermione suddenly, disbelieving. "_You_ want to help?"

"How are we supposed to trust _you_?" asked Ron nastily.

"You don't really have much choice right now, do you?" Malfoy retorted, his eyes narrowing. "You lot need as many as you can get on your side, don't you?"

"Knock it off, you guys," said Harry impatiently, staring at Malfoy. "If Malfoy wants to join us...then he will join us. He's right, we need all the help we can get."

Ron and Hermione continued to glare coldly at Malfoy, as Dumbledore moved around them to stand beside Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore began, "I would do well to tell you all a little bit more about our Cassius."

He led them to sit down at the end of the Ravenclaw table, the only table out of the four Houses that remained standing.

"Now then," said Dumbledore. "I find that the beginning tends to be the best place to start...

"Sixteen years ago, Lucius Malfoy and Margeurite Galdeon, both former Slytherin students of Hogwarts, conceived a child together, a child that was the product of an affair that had been going on for some time. In her sixth month of pregnancy, Margeurite was attacked by a member of the Villdawick clan, bitten, and killed. She rose again, mere moments later, and returned home, as though nothing had happened. Despite her mother's death, amazingly, Cassius survived. But she was affected by the change. As her developing body continued to take in her mother's new Vill blood, it mixed with the blood of Lucius, and the living Margeurite. Cassius inherited the traits of the Vills, but was born human. Word had spread about the human vampire child that was to be born, and when it was discovered that the baby would be of pureblood magic decent, vampires around the world grew quite excited. The power of the Villdawick and the power of a true, pureblood witch would combine, creating one of the few most powerful entities that ever existed. Cassius would rise above all of the vampires, and under her rule, they could very well eliminate the human world as we know it.

"When Cassius was born, there was much celebration in the vampire world. Lucius found himself struggling to keep his daughter seperated from the vampires, as they all wanted to have a chance at a mere glimpse of the one who would one day become their queen. This stirred quite a bit of anger in the Villdawicks, who saw their chance to get to her when Lucius made the dreadful mistake of attempting to use the Imperious Curse on a Villdawick, in an attempt to force another into the service of Voldemort. Their taste for revenge was satisfied by taking from him his most prized possession - his child."

Malfoy made a strange noise, and Dumbledore looked down at him over his half-moon spectacles.

"Please do not take that in offense, Mr. Malfoy," he said carefully. "Cassius was held dear to him for the wrong reasons, I assure you. I fear he must have planned something such as this union ever since he learned what she was to become."

"So you're saying," said Ron, "that she's a..._half-breed_?"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Yes, Mr. Weasley, she is a half-breed. That is why she has the vampiric traits that she does."

"But...I thought that was because she was bitten so many times," Harry said, perplexed.

"I am afraid not. Cassius was born the way she is, the bites had nothing to do with it."

"Why didn't the Vills just go and take her? Why did they wait for an excuse?" asked Malfoy, shaking his head in disbelief.

Dumbledore looked at him again. "Because, they wouldn't attack Margeurite. She was one of them."

"She was_ family_..." whispered Hermione.

"Exactly, Miss Granger," agreed the old wizard. "And the Villdawicks have a natural instinct to protect their family. Unless they have pride or revenge as an excuse."

Malfoy looked thoughtful. "That's why she saved me..."

"I'd imagine so," Dumbledore said.

"This is doing us no good," said Snape, all of a sudden. He got quickly to his feet. "Sitting here, talking, when we should be looking for Cassius!"

"Now now, Severus. It is better that everyone involved have as complete an understanding as can be provided."

"But--"

"Please," Dumbledore interrupted calmly, holding up a hand. "Have patience. Perhaps now we should begin our planning."

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**So this may explain Cassius'...condition...a little bit more. But where is she???**

**Reviews are lovely...**

**~SP  
**


	3. Chapter 3 :: Guiltridden

**I've decided to have a bit of fun and make up a bit for the cliffhanger that came at the end of the first in this series...if only because I admit that it is far from the last time I will be leaving you all hanging like that...;) Enjoy, here come the next FIVE chapters!**

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.**

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Hagrid was a wreck when Ron, Hermione, and Harry arrived at his cabin. His long beard wet with tears, he sat at his table, looking rather forlornly down at his hands.

"Shoulda done somethin'," he was repeating over and over, shaking his head sadly. "Shoulda stopped that Occamy..."

"You can't feel responsible," Hermione told him gently. "That thing couldn't have been handled, it was under Lucius Malfoy's control."

"Yeah, Hagrid," agreed Ron. "None of this is your fault."

Hagrid tried to force a small smile, but wound up bursting into a fresh set of tears. His loud sobs echoed through the cabin, the sound ringing in the others' ears. Fang, the large boarhound, who was seated at Hagrid's side, began to whimper.

"Come on, Hagrid," said Ron, patting the half-giant on the back. "Don't fall apart on us. We need you."

Hagrid looked up at him, his eyes red from his crying.

"We're going to save Cassius," Ron continued, a smile forming on his lips.

"S-save her?" asked Hagrid in confusion. "How are you going to do that?"

"Well, for a start, Dumbledore thinks it would be a good idea to let the Centaurs know," said Harry, sitting across the table. "In case they may have seen something in the Forest."

"They're not goin' ter like this," Hagrid said, shaking his head again. "But he's right. I s'pose I'd best tell them..."

"Malfoy is going to try and get some information from his father, as well," said Hermione. "Play the spy, see if he can find out where he is keeping Cassius."

Hagrid turned to her, his eyes wide with disbelief. "_Malfoy_? Goin' ter _help_?" he asked, his voice full of doubt. "Gulpin' Gargoyles, you're pullin' my leg."

Harry shook his head. "No, we're not. Believe me, it's a bit of a shock to all of us. But he's back at the school as we speak, writing a letter to his father."

"We only hope he's being serious about it," Ron said doubtfully.

Hermione shook her head. "I'm quite certain he means it. Cassius _is_ his sister, after all..."

Ron turned to look at her, his expression dubious. "That may be, but you saw how he looked at her after she shot him down."

"That was be_fore_ he knew who she really is," argued Hermione.

"Knock it off, you two," Harry chided, glaring at them. "We need to focus here. Hagrid, we'll go with you when you tell the Centaurs."

Hagrid shook his head hard. "I should say not, Harry! Those Centaurs don't like ter be bothered by humans. It'll be miracle enough if they give me the chance ter talk to 'em."

"But Cassius is our friend," Ron said. "There's no way we're not going to go along with you."

Hermione nodded in agreement. Hagrid looked around at the three of them, and finally sighed with a nod of his own.

"Alrigh', then. I s'pose it's up ter you all," he relented. "But, I warn yeh now, stay close to me and Fang. Don' want yeh to get lost in the Forest..."

With that, Hagrid got to his feet, and pulled on his heavy moleskin overcoat. He took a lantern from the mantle over his fireplace, and looked at the kids.

"Don' forget," he said. "The Centaurs can be very territorial, and dangerous if they're provoked. Stay behin' me."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded in unison. Hagrid turned and headed for the door.

"Let's get on with it."


	4. Chapter 4 :: In The Dark

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

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"_Bloodbrat_..." came the voice again, from somewhere deep in the shadows. The darkness too thick for even her sharp eyes to see through, the air cold around her, Cassius Galdeon struggled painfully to sit up. Her ribs ached, and several sticky, wet spots in her robes told her that she was bleeding from her many cuts and scrapes.

She said nothing, only listened, hearing the sounds of the giant spiders she knew surrounded her, as they skittered around. Once in a while, she felt the brush of one of their hairy legs on her face. At first, Cassius flinched away each time, bracing herself for the fatal, venomous bite she was sure would come at any time. Now, however, she welcomed the thought of being eaten by one of the massive arachnids. _It would be much better than this_...

A shuffling in the corner, louder than the spiders' movement, and Cassius could sense the figure lurking there. It had been there since she had arrived, or so she thought. She had been unconscious for some time, so she couldn't be sure. Since she had awoken, though, the person had been there, standing guard over her. Not to keep her safe, however, that was quite clear. Whoever it was, he or she was making sure Cassius was not going to be able to leave.

Cassius slowly rose to her feet. She wanted to say something, to plead with her tormentor, but she knew it would do no good. The only word it directed to her was that awful nickname. Besides that, it muttered to itself, saying things that Cassius couldn't quite understand. She heard fully clearly, however, as the thing suddenly shouted.

"_CRUCIO_!"

Cassius' body twisted in agony, her insides feeling as though they were burning. It felt as though the sun was shining inside of her. She dropped once more, screaming.

The knuckles of her closed fist struck the ground hard, and the object she held reverberated the impact. Her mind raced, thoughts of Harry...of Hagrid...of Snape...

She gave the Thought Sender in her hand a desperate squeeze, and silently willed one of them to hear her...


	5. Chapter 5 :: The Centaurs

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

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Fang led the way to the Forest, stopping at the edge to wait for Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, and Harry. Hagrid led the way, his arm stretched over his head to light the way with his lantern. They picked their way carefully along the path, avoiding the branches and limbs that had fallen from the trees.

Harry's breath caught in his throat as they passed the spot where he and Malfoy had fallen into the hole, and found Cassius hiding, only four days ago. His memory flashed with images of her - standing in her window, looking down at him - crouched down, petting Filch's cat - laughing at the three of them, hidden under the invisibility cloak - and he found himself having to quicken his pace to catch up to the others.

They walked for what seemed like forever, until finally they came to a clearing. Hagrid set the lantern on the ground, and, cupping his hand over his mouth, gave a loud shout.

"OY!"

He waited a moment, listening to the silence of the Forest, and repeated the shout.

Hermione let out a small cry of surprise when the low-hanging branches of a nearby willow parted, and a large, half-man, half-horse stepped into the clearing. He wasn't alone. Suddenly, at least thirty more Centaurs appeared, surrounding the clearing, all of them with bows in their hands, some of them holding the bows up, aiming their arrows at the humans.

"Hagrid," said the black-bodied Centaur who had been the first to appear. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw set in annoyance. "Why are you here? What do you want, that is so important that you must disturb us?"

Hagrid stepped forward, holding his hands out in front of him, in a gesture of peace offering. "We need your help, Bane."

Bane glared at him angrily. "You've wasted your time," he growled, "and ours. We don't help humans."

"But you'd help Cassius!" said Harry quickly, stepping up to stand at Hagrid's side. Bane looked at him oddly.

"You know of Lady Cassius?" asked a gray-colored Centaur, lowering his bow.

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "She's a friend of ours!"

Bane approached Harry slowly, scrutinizing him. "We have not seen, nor heard from, Lady Cassius in several days. Why do you say she needs help, human boy?"

Harry straightened, pulling his shoulders back, as though trying to appear taller. "Lucius Malfoy has taken her. We're afraid he is going to hand her over to the Villdawicks."

"Rubbish!" raged Bane, and he stamped his front foot angrily. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"Because in a few days, she'll be sixteen, and they're going to turn her!"

A murmur swept through the crowd of Centaurs. Bane lifted a hand to silence them.

"Why would this Lucius Malfoy be willing to allow her to be turned?" he asked, his voice rising with fury.

"He's g-going to give her in m-marraige," stammered Ron, who was doing his best to hide behind Hagrid. "To You-Know-Who."

A great noise broke the night air as the gathered Centaurs reacted to the news, shouting and stamping their feet angrily.

"NO!"

"This CANNOT happen!"

"We can't allow this!"

Bane once again raised his hand to quiet them. Turning to Harry, he lowered himself so that he could face the boy eye-to-eye.

"Are you aware, human, of the dire consequences that such a union would bring?" he asked lowly. Harry nodded, and Bane rose to his full height, looking down at him. "Lady Cassius is in great danger. Her life is very important to the world as you humans know it. Great changes will come about if she is turned, only to be made worse if she were to rule alongside such an evil being as Voldemort. We cannot allow this to happen." He turned to Hagrid. "We will not help you, or your foals. But we will help our Lady Cassius. And if, in doing so, we must make contact with you humans, then so it shall be. Leave our Forest now. We will begin our search."

He started to walk away, but Hermione rushed forward to stop him.

"Bane," she called. He turned to look at her, his expression hard. "I know it is not your nature to help humans...We thank you."

Bane sneered at her. "I do not want your thanks, human girl. We do this not for you, but for Lady Cassius. Her safety is important to us."

"Why do you refer to her in that manner?" Hermione asked softly. "As _Lady_ Cassius?"

Bane leaned down, closer to her, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Lady Cassius is held in great regard with most of the creatures here. She is loved, trusted, and respected by nearly all who inhabit this place. The unicorns will eat from her hands, the fairies follow in her shadow wherever she goes, and we Centaurs relish in the chance to be graced by her mere presence. Lady Cassius once rescued one of our foals from the clutches of a murderous werewolf, only to turn around a few short nights later, and save that same werewolf from a rather...treacherous...situation. She deserves the title of 'Lady', as there has never been another human so highly revered among the creatures of the Forest."

He straightened, turned away, and glared at Hermione over his shoulder. "Leave now. We will make contact with you, should the need arise."

The Centaurs turned, and silently disappeared back into the Forest. The only sound left was that of Ron's heavy, nervous breathing, from his place behind Hagrid. Hermione turned to face the others.

"We have the Centaurs now," she said, a note of fear in her voice. "We can only hope they find something."

Hagrid nodded. "Bane won' rest 'til the whole Forest has been searched. If somethin' turns up, he'll let me know right quick."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Harry. "He said they would only come to us if it's necessary..."

Hagrid looked down at him, his eyes a little sad. "I can' be sure, 'Arry. But I have a feelin' they'll consider anythin' in this case necessary." He picked the lantern back up, and began to head back down the path to his cabin. "We'd better be off, then. Nothin' more we can do here. Best to just get back, find Dumbledore, and see what to do next."

He walked on, checking back occasionally to make sure Harry, Ron, and Hermione were close behind, and led the way back toward the school.


	6. Chapter 6 :: Family Ties

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

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Dumbledore, who had been trying hard not to let his deep concern be apparent to the others, seemed relieved to hear that the Centaurs had agreed, in a way, to help.

"They're on our side," he said. "I daresay, if anything were to turn up in the Forest, we'll hear about it."

Snape sat moodily at his desk, his eyes fixed on the flames that danced in the fireplace. They were in his office - Snape, Dumbledore, and now McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick as well - and had been waiting for quite some time to find out what had happened in the Forest.

"Bane wasn' too happy ter be asked to help, mind yeh," said Hagrid, standing by a wall lined with glass jars containing various odd-looking creatures. "But the slightest thought of our little love bein' in trouble...Well, that got 'im movin' right quick."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I figured that it would. It is fortunate for all involved that Cassius has grown as close to the Centaurs as she has."

At that moment, Malfoy walked in, a look of worry shadowing his pale face. His hands were fidgeting nervously at his sides.

"I've just sent off a letter to my father. I praised him for the way he controlled that Occamy, and told him I was proud to be a Malfoy after the whole event," he said, his voice shaking. "I just hope he believes me..."

Harry looked at him, his eyes slightly cold. "Tell us, Malfoy," he said tersely. "Why is it that you are so eager to help us?"

Malfoy turned to glare at Harry with annoyance. "I have my reasons," he replied with an edge to his voice.

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Hermione's exasperated sigh.

"What does it _matter_, Harry?" she cried. "He's on our side, that's what's important." Harry rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Miss Granger has a point," said McGonagall. "We must put our trust in young Mr. Malfoy if we are going to hope that we will ever find Cassius."

"How are we going to_ find_ her," Snape suddenly snapped, slamming a fist on his desktop, and getting to his feet in one fast move, "if we don't even know where to begin to look?"

Dumbledore came forward, and placed a gently restraining hand on Snape's shoulder. "Have faith, Severus. Whether from the Centaurs, or from Lucius himself, we will find her."

Snape turned on him, frustration in his eyes. "And if we learn nothing from either source?" he asked desperately.

Dumbledore took his hand down, and shook his head sadly. "Only time will tell."

"WE DON'T _HAVE_ TIME!" shouted Ron, his face reddening with anger. "Lucius said it would only be _six days_!"

"We are quite aware of the deadline, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall said calmly. "But we are utterly helpless at this point. As Professor Snape said, we don't even know where to begin to look. It's very hard, I know, but we must try to remain calm, and wait."

Harry cringed at the thought of waiting. His mind again flashed with images of Cassius, and he felt as though his heart was going to burst. Suddenly, the sound of a soft whimper came from behind him. He turned to see Hermione, her lip trembling, eyes blinking rapidly, tears glistening in her eyes.

"We'll find her," she said shakily. "I know we will." Ron moved to stand beside her, his arm circling around her waist. She laid her head on his shoulder and sobbed.

"Shhh, 'Mione," Ron muttered soothingly. "We have to stay calm...Like Professor said..."

Sprout stood, shaking her head slowly, her own eyes wet with tears. "I think the best thing to do at this point would be to try and get some sleep...Though I doubt it will be very possible."

"I agree, Pomona," said Dumbledore. "We will meet again in the morning. All of you, come straight to my office after the morning feast."

He started to leave, but paused at the door, and turned to face the others.

"Try," he started softly, "to get some sleep."


	7. Chapter 7 :: Faces

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

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**

"_WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA_!"

Cassius felt her body lifted slowly into the air, and heard a snicker as her head hit the roof of the cave. Suddenly, the levitating spell was lifted, and Cassius dropped at an alarming speed, crashing to the ground. There was a sickening crack, and blinding pain exploded from her right ankle. She screamed, and her tormentor responded with a hearty laugh. She clutched the Thought Sender tightly in her fist, desperately trying to send out a message.

_Daddy...Harry...SOMEBODY!!! Please..._

Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly rose into the air again.

"NO!" she cried, pleading to the figure lurking in the shadows. She was answered with another laugh, and once again she was released. She landed on something large and hairy, and heard the grotesque splattering sound it made as the weight of her body and the rate of the impact crushed it. She felt a warm liquid cover her flesh, and fought to choke back a disgusted sob. Scrambling to get away from the dead spider, she leaned too hard on her broken ankle, and the pain from it sent her sprawling. Her head struck a stone, and she gasped as stars danced before her eyes.

One of the stars didn't fade. In fact, it grew. Squinting her eyes, Cassius recognized the light of a torch. It was moving closer, and as it did, she could make out a bit more of her surroundings. There were giant spiders everywhere, several of them dead, one of them lying crushed barely a foot away from her.

She saw the face of the one who had been submitting her to such torture, and cringed at the gruesome smile on his ugly, rat-like face. Her eyes moved back to the torch, and she saw that it was held by a woman, a very familiar woman. Beautiful, her hair a mass of silky, golden blonde curls. Even in the dim light, Cassius could see the coldness in the woman's violet eyes. The woman from her nightmares...

"That's enough, Wormtail," the woman said cooly, forcing the ugly man's hand, which held a wand, back to his side. "For the moment, at least."

"Madam!" the man squeaked excitedly. "I've kept a good watch, I've seen to it she won't try to escape!"

The woman glared at him. "I have eyes," she snapped. "I can see for myself that Bloodbrat is still here."

"I..." Cassius tried to speak, holding herself weakly on her elbows so that she could see the woman. "I...am...not...Bloodbrat..."

The woman turned to her, her lips pulling back into a cruel sneer. "My dear, I'd have thought that by now you would have accepted who you are."

Cassius glared at her, trying desperately to ignore the pain that went through her body. "I...am...Cassius..." she said slowly.

"Yes, you are," the woman replied, her voice even. "Cassius Galdeon, daughter of Lucius and Margeurite. Child born from lust and hunger. Queen of the Villdawicks."

"NO!" shouted Cassius, feeling a burn of hate in her middle. "I will _never_ be queen."

The woman laughed scornfully. "You have not been given a choice in the matter, child. It is your destiny to rule over our people."

"I will _NOT_," Cassius insisted angrily. The woman merely shook her head, her face rigid, and turned to Wormtail.

"I will return in a few days to collect her, in time for the ceremony." She looked back at Cassius with disgust. "See to it that she is cleaned up by then. We don't want to be presenting your Master with a wretch."

Wormtail shook his head enthusiastically. "No, Madam, we don't! I'll make sure she looks as beautiful as possible..."

The woman nodded. "Very well, then. I shall leave you to your - " she looked at Cassius again, a nasty smile on her face " - games."

Cassius watched the torchlight fade as the woman left them, and closed her eyes against the tears that sprang to them. She squeezed the Thought Sender tightly.

_No...no more...I can't...Daddy...pleAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

Her thoughts were cut short as Wormtail hit her again with the Cruciatous Curse.

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**Reviews are so lovely, and do encourage more posting...;)**

**~SP  
**


	8. Chapter 8 :: Neville's Discovery

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

* * *

**

Harry and Ron trudged up the steps to their dormitory room, neither of them thinking much about sleep. They found their roommates, Neville, Dean, and Seamus, were feeling the same way. All three boys sat up in their beds, quietly discussing what was going on. Their conversation died off quickly when Harry and Ron entered the room. Seamus climbed out of bed, and stood in front of them.

"Is it true?" he asked nervously. "Is the new girl a Villdawick?"

Ron considered a moment before answering. "Not really, no. She is, but she's not."

"You're not making any sense," said Dean, looking at Ron oddly.

"She's a half-breed," offered Harry, turning to face Dean. "Her mum was turned before she was born, and Cassius survived."

Neville rose to his feet, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "So, you mean, she was _born_ a vampire?"

Harry shook his head. "No, she was born a human. But...ahh, it's too hard to explain."

"Dumbledore tells it so much better," Ron said softly. Harry agreed, and they began to slowly, reluctantly, get dressed for bed.

As Harry shrugged out of his robes, something dropped out of its pocket, landing on the floor with a heavy _thump_. Neville had seen it fall, and picked it up. He examined it quickly, running a finger over the small, shiny red stone set in the center of the larger, smooth, grey one. He held it out to Harry.

"Hey, Har--" Neville's words cut off with a sharp cry of surprise when his head was suddenly filled with the sound of someone screaming, and the Thought Sender fell out of his hand.

Harry whipped around to face him, startled. "What's with you?"

Neville pointed at the Thought Sender, his hand shaking. "That...that rock..._your_ rock...It _screamed_ at me!"

Harry looked at him strangely for a second, and his gaze shifted down to where Neville was pointing. When his eyes fell on the Thought Sender, they widened with realization.

His hand swept down and snatched the Thought Sender up. Harry looked up at Ron, who was staring back at him already. Seeming to understand the unspoken message, Ron nodded.

Suddenly, Harry turned and bolted from the room, the Thought Sender clutched tightly in his fist. They watched him go with surprise, then Seamus, Dean, and Neville turned to Ron.

"Long story," Ron said, looking at their questioning faces. He sat on the edge of his bed with a sigh. "But I guess I might as well tell you all about it..."

The other three boys sat on their beds, as well, and leaned forward, listening intently as Ron told them everything. When he had finished, they sat back, shaking their heads in amazement and disbelief.

"Poor Cassius," whispered Neville. "She was so nice..."

Seamus nodded in agreement, and pursed his lips in concern. "But you all are going to save her, right?" he asked Ron.

Ron looked at him closely. "We're doing our best."

"I want to help," Neville said, his voice suddenly full of steel. He got to his feet. "Tell me what I can do."

"I don't think--" started Ron.

"We'll _all_ help," Dean interrupted, as he and Seamus both got to their feet as well.

"Now, guys--" Ron tried again, but he was cut off once more, this time by Seamus.

"Don't try to tell us 'no', Ron. This is big...really big. The more involved in this, the better."  
Ron looked thoughtful for a moment, then finally relented.

"Alright," he said. "I s'pose you're right. We're going to meet with Dumbledore tomorrow after breakfast. Come with us then. Dumbledore will be glad to have you along on our side, I'm sure."


	9. Chapter 9 :: Scream

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

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**

Cassius didn't know where she was anymore. She couldn't hear the voice as it spouted hexes and curses at her, couldn't feel the spiders moving about, could barely remember how she had gotten there in the first place. She writhed about on the ground in agony, but she no longer screamed. Not audibly. Her mind was a twisted mix of pain and fear. It was there that she screamed, in her mind, for her voice no longer seemed to want to do it.

It seemed that her lack of showing reaction to the fun he was having with her was leaving Wormtail quite disgruntled. He wanted to hear her scream, hear her cry. He enjoyed this torture he had been given the permission to administer. His master would be so proud of him, and reward him greatly for his actions, Wormtail was sure.

The only problem was the spiders. They kept trying to get to the girl, to make a meal of her. At first, Wormtail had only killed them as they tried to get close, but he found such a sick pleasure in doing it, that he would occasionally do it just for fun. He had found it particularly amusing when the girl had landed on that one rather large spider, crushing it to death. He wasn't fond of spiders, but he could deal with them.

If Wormtail had gotten close enough, or used a light, he would have eventually noticed Cassius' hand, which had remained, the entire time, in a tight fist, wrapped around her Thought Sender. Not that it would have made much difference at that point. She no longer tried to send out her messages, in fact, had forgotten she was doing it in the first place. She wasn't even aware that she still held it, instinct kept her fingers locked around the stone.

Cassius' bruised, bloodied, battered body twisted in pain once more, a result of another attempt by Wormtail to make the now-silent girl scream.


	10. Chapter 10 :: Painful Thoughts

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

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**

Harry ran down the corridors of the school, his bare feet slapping loudly on the floor. As he ran, the Thought Sender held tight in his fist, his mind was filled with Cassius' weary, strained voice. None of it made any sense, only garbled words, confused phrases, and piercing screams.

_Light...where...spiders...AAAUUUUGGGGHHHH! _

Though his lungs burned with the need for oxygen, he didn't slow his pace until he had reached the dungeons. He stopped at the door to Snape's office, and peered in to see if the teacher was there.

Snape was there, sitting at his desk again, looking down at something. His face was pinched, his brow deeply furrowed. He looked to Harry as though he were in deep concentration. Harry silently entered the office, approaching the desk slowly. He saw what Snape was looking at - he had a book lying open in front of him, and from the pages, Harry could see the image of Cassius, in different stages of her life. One of the pictures caught Harry's attention - a young Cassius hugged Snape tightly, kissing him on the cheek, both of them smiling and waving. It was this picture that Snape seemed to be focusing on, running one long, thin finger slowly over its surface. Harry looked up at Snape, and was stricken by the amount of pain he could see on the teacher's usually hard, emotionless face. Never before had Harry had such a strong urge to be on Snape's side.

"Professor..." Harry said softly.

Snape jumped back suddenly, startled, his face whitening. Seeing Harry, he quickly slammed the book shut.

"What are you doing down here, Potter?" he snarled, his eyes going hard. "Professor Dumbledore said for you to go to bed."

Harry recoiled slightly. "I know, I did...Well, I started to...but..."

"What?" Snape snapped. Harry put his hand out and opened it, revealing the Thought Sender. Snape looked at it in confusion, then returned his glare to Harry. "Where did you get that?!"

"Cassius gave it to me," Harry replied calmly. "I had forgotten about it...I don't know why, but it slipped my mind completely."

Snape curled his lip. "What about it?"

Harry grabbed Snape's hand, and pressed the Thought Sender into it. "_Listen_," he said sternly. Snape fell silent, as the sound of Cassius' voice filled his head. As Harry watched, Snape's face went even whiter, his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

"Cassius..." Snape whispered.

"We have a way to get through to her," Harry said seriously. "We can use this to try and figure out where she is!"

Snape shook his head, his face still frozen in amazed sadness. "We can _hope_," he replied. "She sounds...in a very bad state..."

"We have to try."

"She's not making any sense..."

"We _have_ to try!" Harry repeated, taking the stone back from Snape. "There's got to be _something_, some kind of clue...We just have to _listen_!"

"Very well, Potter," Snape said softly, sitting back in his chair and looking over at the cold, empty fireplace. "Bring it tomorrow. We'll see what can be made of it."

Harry nodded, and left the office, leaving Snape to stare sadly at the empty hearth. He looked down at the Thought Sender in his hand, and, closing his eyes, pressed his thumb to the small red stone.

_Don't worry, Cassius. We're going to find you..._

_

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_**Reviews are divine...**

**~SP  
**


	11. Chapter 11 :: Malfoy's Mission

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

* * *

**

The meeting had to be moved from Dumbledore's office, into the Great Hall, to accommodate the massive growth in their numbers.

Hermione had arrived that morning with Ginny Weasley, Lavender Brown, and Parvati Patil. Harry and Ron had brought along Seamus, Dean, and Neville. The teachers hadn't arrived alone, either - Sprout had been joined by Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Justin Finch-Fletchley; McGonagall by Colin Creevey, Angelina Johnson, Lee Jordan, and Alicia Spinnet; and Flitwick by Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, Padma Patil (Parvati's sister), Michael Corner, and Luna Lovegood.

In fact, the only person who was not present was Hagrid.

Harry felt a surge of pride and hope at the sight of the many students from different Houses, gathered together to meet the same goal - saving Cassius. He received quite a surprise, though, when Malfoy arrived - accompanied by Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson.

Snape appeared as though he had not gotten any sleep - which Harry figured he hadn't - as he sat at the Ravenclaw table, amongst the students and teachers. The sea of faces down the table all held the same expression of determination. His attention was turned to the end of the table, where the Headmaster stood.

Dumbledore, who had decided it best not to wait for the gamekeeper to arrive - "Time is of the essence," he had said - raised one hand, clearing his throat to bring silence to the room.

"It is wonderful to see the great show of support that has come our way," he said. "Our group is not complete, however. There are two missing."

"Two?" asked Ron. "But Hagrid is the only one--"

"Hagrid will be here at any moment, I am sure," Dumbledore cut him off. "Our other...ally...will join us as soon as he is able to get here. He is a very dear old friend of Miss Galdeon's, and has heard of the...predicament. He has sent word our way that there is nothing - " he looked pointedly at Snape, whose face suddenly looked pinched " - that will stop him from coming to her aide.

"Now, then. A discovery was made last night," he continued, speaking clearly. "A possible means of communicating with Miss Galdeon. Unfortunately, this method will require her ability to think clearly, and I fear it may be too late for that. From the sounds of her voice, she is in a very poor frame of mind."

"What good is trying to get through to her going to be then?" asked Pansy sharply.

Snape answered for Dumbledore. "She may not be able to hear, or understand, us...But with this" - he held up his Thought Sender - "we can hear her thoughts..."

"We are hoping that the Thought Sender that you see in Professor Snape's hand will land us with some small clue that we can work with to figure out Cassius' whereabouts," said Hermione, her voice sounding slightly strained.

"And if it doesn't?" asked Cho, worry in her eyes. Suddenly, Malfoy raised his hand. He was holding up a folded piece of parchment.

Dumbledore looked down at him. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I got an answer from my father this morning, right before breakfast," Malfoy said slowly. Everyone at the table turned to look at him in great interest.

"And what does your father have to say?" Snape asked coolly, leaning across the table to fix his gaze on the blond-haired boy.

Malfoy swallowed, then began to read from the parchment:

"_Draco,  
I must say, I am quite pleased with your enthusiasm concerning the current happenings in our world. Not that I ever doubted what your reactions would be, of course.  
The event that is about to take place, the marraige of the Dark Lord to your darling sister, Cassius -_ "

- Snape visibly winced at the sound of her name -

" _- will bring about a drastic change in every life. Muggles and Mudbloods, half-breeds and squibs...All will become victims to our triumphant overtaking. There will be not even a trace of 'innocence' left in the world once the Dark Lord and Lady take their rule.  
I hope that you are willing to take part in the planning of this glorious union. I know that your dear sister will be quite heartbroken if you were to not attend her wedding.  
I will come and collect you this evening, after you have completed the day's lessons, unless I hear word from you that you are not interested in being involved.  
I don't believe I have to say, however, that I would be very disappointed if that were to be your decision.  
Give my regards to Professor Snape.  
Sincerely, Father_"

As he read the last line, Malfoy's eyes moved up to meet Snape's. The look on the professor's face sent a chill of fear through him. Snape's face was whiter than he had ever seen it, his features twisted in hard, bitter rage, his eyes flashing. Malfoy set the parchment on the table, and turned to Dumbledore, afraid to look into Snape's angry face anymore.

Dumbledore was standing silently, his hands clasped in front of him, considering. "Well, Mr. Malfoy. The choice here is yours to make. Do you wish to go through with your previous plan, or have your thoughts changed?"

Malfoy sat silently for a moment, then nodded. "I'm going to go."

Dumbledore nodded back to him. "Very well, then. We had bett--"

He was cut off when the door slammed open, and a rather flustered-looking Hagrid hurried in."Professor Dumbledore, sir," he puffed, trying to catch his breath. "Sorry I'm late...I was talkin' ter Ronin...He said nothin' on Cassius, but he mentioned there bein' a new colony of Acromantulas spotted in the Forest..."

"Alright, then, Hagrid. Thank you for the update," Dumbledore said, motioning to the table. "Please, take a seat."

Hagrid shook his head. "No thanks, sir. If yeh don' mind, I'd kindly prefer to jus' stand..."

Dumbledore nodded. "Now, as I was saying, we had better establish a way for you to keep us informed, Mr. Malfoy. Caution is very important, as the consequences you will most probably be facing if you are caught are too serious to mention here."

"If I may, Headmaster," said Snape, his voice hard but calm. "I had thought that perhaps we could supply Mr. Malfoy with one of Cassius' Thought Senders. It would be safest, as no words will have to be written or spoken out loud."

Dumbledore nodded again. "Sounds very logical to me."

"He kin take mine," said Hagrid, his breathing returning to normal. "Better that he take mine, and let 'Arry and Professor Snape keep theirs, jus' in case..."

"I don't know how to use one of those..." Malfoy said softly.

"It's not hard, boy," said Snape. "I'll show you. It will take mere seconds to sh--"

"HEY!" cried Harry all of a sudden, causing most of the students around him to jump in fright. He had been sitting quietly, his eyes not even focusing on anyone or anything, since Hagrid had burst into the room. "Acro...Acromantulas??" His voice was shaking so badly that it was difficult to understand him.

Snape's dark eyes turned on him. "What are you blathering about, Potter?"

Harry looked at him, his own eyes wide. "Acromantulas...Ronin said there were Acromantulas in the Forest!"

Snape shook his head, his lip curling in confusion.

"Cassius..." Harry said desperately. "When I heard her, last night...She was talking about _spiders_!"

Snape stared at him for a moment, then suddenly, his eyes widened. "Spiders..." he said softly.

Harry jumped to his feet, facing Dumbledore. "Wherever those Acromantulas are, I'll bet that's where Cassius is!"

An excited stir went through the crowd, as everyone began talking at once.

"SILENCE!" shouted Dumbledore. When the quiet had been restored, he turned to Hagrid. "You know what you must do."

Hagrid nodded, and turned to leave. Harry stopped him.

"Wait! We'll go with you," Harry said loudly. The gamekeeper shook his head violently.

"Ah, no, 'Arry. Far too dangerous. Can't risk it," he said.

"Then _I'll _go," Harry insisted, marching toward the door. Hagrid looked desperately at Dumbledore, but the Headmaster merely nodded.

"Be careful," Dumbledore said. "And come straight back. If you learn anything, come and tell us. Do not attempt to continue on your own." He fixed his light blue eyes on Harry.

Harry nodded, and he and Hagrid hurried out of the Hall. They made their way out onto the grounds, and headed toward Hagrid's cabin.

They didn't stop there, though. They continued on, into the Forest...

...toward a frighteningly familiar hollow...


	12. Chapter 12 :: In The Hollow

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

* * *

**

Harry cringed at the memory of Aragog, the monstrous spider that he and Ron had come face to face with just a few short years ago. The beast, a friend of Hagrid's, had attempted to give them to his children as a meal, but fortunately for the boys, the Weasley's enchanted Ford Anglia (which still roamed the Forest, as a matter of fact) had come to the rescue. Now, here he was once more.

Words couldn't describe how glad he was to be with Hagrid this time.

They cautiously made their way into the web-covered hollow, passing the giant Acromantulas that watched them as they moved. Harry tried hard to ignore them, but the sense of their many eyes following him sent chills up his spine. He found himself almost wishing that he had stayed behind at the school.

Just as they reached the center, a giant spider - the largest of all of the spiders in the hollow - emerged from its domed web.

"Who is it?" the spider said, its pincers clicking.

Hagrid stepped forward. "Only me, Aragog. Well," he added, gesturing for Harry to come closer, "me an' my friend, 'Arry."

"You bring a friend? You have only ever once led other humans into our hollow," Aragog said, with a hint of confusion.

"That was 'Arry an' his mate, Ron."

"Ah, yes...I remember...You barely escaped with your lives, did you not, boy?" Aragog addressed Harry.

Harry gulped and squeaked out his reply: "Yes, sir."

He thought he could hear a soft chuckle from the spider, but he couldn't be sure. "Why is it you have brought him here, Hagrid?"

"Wanted ter see if yeh had any information we could use," Hagrid replied.

"Information? About what?"

Hagrid took another step forward. "Well, yeh see, Aragog, a girl's missin' from the school. In serious danger, I'm afraid. Her name's Cassius Gal--"

Aragog recoiled slightly. "I have heard of her. Lady Cassius is well-known in this Forest. What sort of danger is she in?"

"She's been stolen, kidnapped. We think she migh' be bein' held up somewhere in the Forest."

"I know nothing about this," said the spider, his pincers clicking madly. "Why would you think that I could help?"

Harry mustered up what courage he could, and moved closer to Hagrid. "We were told that there is a new colony of Acromantulas in the Forest somewhere, and we thought that you might know where they are."

"What would they have to do with Lady Cassius?" Aragog asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"We have reason to believe that wherever she is, is where that colony is living."

The giant spider was silent. It seemed to be considering, lowering itself to rest comfortably on the edge of his web.

"Please, Aragog," pleaded Hagrid. "I know yeh don' usually bother yerself with things that don' concern yeh, but our little love is in trouble, we need to save her!"

Harry thought he heard the spider sigh. "I have heard my children speak of a new colony being sighted in a cave, near the far edge of the Forest, closer to the mountains. I'm sorry, Hagrid. That is all I know."

Hagrid nodded enthusiastically. "That may jus' be all we need. Thanks, Aragog."

Hagrid turned and, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder to get him moving, hurried toward the entrance of the hollow.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay, boy?" Aragog called after them, talking to Harry. There was a mocking tone in his voice. "My children would like a midday snack..."

They left the hollow on the waves of the spiders' laughter.


	13. Chapter 13 :: Voices

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

* * *

**

Wormtail was getting thoroughly frustrated. The spiders were beginning to get very angry with him, trying to close in on him to attack. Worse, the girl was no longer responding to him. She didn't make a sound anymore, didn't scream at the pain of the Cruciatous Curse, didn't beg for mercy. In a sick and twisted way, he found himself missing the sound of her voice. Oh, he could hear the sound of her body move as it twisted in agony, the sound of it crashing down to the ground again after another levitation spell, the sound of her ragged breathing. But that was it. Other than occassional, non-sensical mutterings that he could barely make out, she was silent. He wasn't ready to give up, though. He was having way too much fun to just stop.

Cassius sat up, leaning against the wall of the cave. Her eyes were closed, the right one swollen nearly shut. Her left arm hung limply at her side, the dislocated shoulder sending more flares of pain through her. She barely felt it anymore, though. Her body had been growing numb, merely absorbing the curses her tormentor threw at her. Sure, she felt some pain, but not as much as before. No, definitely not as much as before.

Her body wasn't the only thing that had gone numb. Her mind, as well, seemed to have closed off. She had long since nearly forgotten who she was, and why she was there. All that remained were fragments of her memory, images of Snape, Dumbledore, her friends, her dormitory room...Once in awhile, one of their voices would float through her mind, but she barely heard them, let alone registered what they said. It was as though they were calling out to her over some distance.

_Cassius...Please be safe...Don't worry...I'll find you, little love..._

The words that she heard whispered in her memories were the only thing that was keeping her strong, keeping her clinging tight to the very edge of her own sanity.


	14. Chapter 14 :: The Legion Swarms

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

* * *

**

Midnight.

That was the plan, the time that they were going to make their move.

It was dangerous, they all knew it.

Yet, still, the legion of students and teachers was ready to swarm.

*

"Stay close now," warned McGonagall in a crisp voice, facing the crowd before her, as they prepared to enter the Forest. "Everybody have your wands at the ready! You never know what we may come across..."

Snape stepped forward, turning around to gaze at the sea of anxious faces before him. That morning, during the morning gathering, he had been moved by the amount of people so willing to put themselves at risk for Cassius' sake. The feeling had returned several times throughout the day, like when Neville had offered him a weak smile of encouragement during Potions, despite Snape's ridiculing him once more about his poor potion-making skills, and when Malfoy had given him an infinitismal - but meaningful - nod, as he was leaving the school to join Lucius.

Here, now, on the verge of beginning their quest, he felt compelled to say something.

"I feel," he began, his voice even, "that I would be in the wrong if I were to not enforce upon you all once more how very dangerous the task at hand is going to be. Acromantulas can be very violent. Their bite is extremely poisonous, and have been known to attacking in groups. Keep your wands out, your eyes open, and _stick together_." He started to turn away, but paused. Casting his eyes down to the ground, he added quietly, "Thank you all. Very much."

With that, Snape spun on his heel and led the way down the path, into the Forbidden Forest.

The crowd picked their way slowly along the path, wide eyes skittering around in fear of what may be lurking in the dark.

The snap of a twig up ahead brought the group to a startled halt. A blond-haired, palomino-bodied Centaur stepped out of the shadows. Hagrid moved forward to greet him.

"Firenze," he said. "Have you seen anythin'?"

"Unfortunately, yes," the Centaur answered. He regarded the entire group. "I believe it would be best if some of you returned to the school. Strength in numbers is nothing when compared to safety."

Dumbledore stepped forward. "We appreciate your warning, Firenze. However, everyone here has been well-prepared for this mission. There is not a single person here that would be willing to turn back at this point." He turned to face the students. "If, however, any of you _do_ wish to return to the safety of the school, I would suggest going now. I'm sure Firenze will be more than happy to escort you out of the Forest."

Nobody moved. Firenze nodded in understanding, and stepped aside, clearing the path for them.

"Please take great caution," he said as they passed. "A werewolf was spotted not far from here just moments ago..."

Nearly an hour had passed since they had left the school, and finally, they found themselves standing near the entrance to the cave. McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick were seperating the students into smaller groups, telling them where to position themselves. The confusion of the large crowd made formal terms nearly obsolete, and the teachers referred to them by their first names.

"Justin, Susan, Padma, Lee, you four - stand over there, by that tree," instructed Sprout, pointing.

"Seamus, Ginny, Cho, Marietta, and Michael, stay where you are. Wands at the ready, now!" squeaked Flitwick.

"Colin, Angelina, Dean, Pansy, Goyle - go and post yourselves at the entrance," said McGonagall. "Careful now, don't stand too close, and be quiet! You don't want to disturb them before we're ready!"

Snape, unable to stand the wait any longer, barked, "Potter, Weasley, Crabbe, Longbottom. All of you - come with me!" Without waiting for them, he strode toward the mouth of the cave.

"Severus--" Dumbledore began to say. Snape whipped around to face him, his face pale with anticipation. Dumbledore stared at him silently for a moment. "Do be careful."

With a nod, Snape turned away and continued to toward the cave, with Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Neville at his heels.

Slowing his pace, he reached out to either side of him, ensuring that the boys that followed him were bunched tightly together, and kept behind him. With a deep breath, he stepped forward, and entered the dark cave...


	15. Chapter 15 :: One Simple Word

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.

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They had just stepped inside when Harry heard the vaguely familiar voice float out of the darkness.

"_CRUCIO_!"

Snape froze at the sound of the curse, then suddenly rushed forward, using a light from his wand to find his way. Harry quickly raised his own wand and muttered, "_Lumos_." A beam of light, similar to that of a flashlight, emitted from the tip of his wand, lighting the walls of the cave. Up ahead, he could hear Snape's hurried footsteps fading away, and that same voice repeating the curse.

"Come on," he hissed at the others, who were standing behind him, waiting. They rushed forward, and found Snape, frozen in his place, staring at the ground. There, scattered around, were the bodies of several dead Acromantulas, some of them appearing to have been burned, others merely lying on their backs, their legs curled in the air. Up ahead, the voice came again, more urgent-sounding. Snape took off again, this time with Harry, Neville, Ron, and Crabbe close behind.

What they found made Harry's breath catch in his throat. There, not ten feet away, stood Peter Pettigrew, the man responsible for his parents' deaths. He had his hand out, pointing a wand at something.

Without even thinking about it, Neville suddenly raised his wand and shouted, "_EXPELLIARMUS_!" To Neville's surprise, the resulting flash of red light sent Pettigrew's wand flying from his hand, and the man jumped, crying out in surprise.

He had barely gotten the cry out, however, as Snape lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar, throwing him roughly against the stone wall of the cave. He wrapped his long, thin fingers around Pettigrew's throat, squeezing, leaning forward so that his nose touched the tip of the struggling Pettigrew's.

"_Pettigrew_," Snape snarled, his hatred and rage making it impossible to say anything else.

"PROFESSOR!" Ron shouted suddenly, his eyes falling on the heap on the ground that had been Pettigrew's target. He and Harry rushed forward, dropping to their knees.

Gently, Harry turned Cassius over onto her back. Pushing her tangled hair out of her face, he found that she was awake, and staring blankly back up at him.

"C-C-Cassius...?" he said softly.

"CRABBE! Watch him, _don't_ let him get away!" Snape ordered, tossing Pettigrew at the boy. Crabbe caught the ugly man in his arms, and swiftly returned him to the same position Snape had had him in, only rather than choking him, he aimed his wand directly at Pettigrew's throat.  
Snape swept across the cave, pushing Harry aside as he knelt beside Cassius. Trying hard to suppress a cry of shock, he gathered the silent, bloody, staring girl into his arms. She didn't respond, and Snape looked down at her, into her empty eyes, desperately looking for some flicker of recognition.

"Cassius...darling...little love," he whispered, his voice shaking badly. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he blinked furiously to fight them off.

Cassius' eyes suddenly came into focus. She looked up at Snape, at Harry, at Ron...Saw the shaky smiles trying to form on their faces...and began to scream.

She jolted violently, her body going rigid, twisting, writhing out of Snape's grasp. She rolled away, her shrill cries echoing off the walls of the cave, and scrambled to her feet.

They watched her in terrified shock as she began to rush about, screaming wildly, her broken ankle giving way and causing her to fall to the ground, only to get back up again.

"CASSIUS!" Harry shouted, trying desperately to make her hear him through her screams.

"She's gone mad," Ron muttered, his face blanched with fear. Snape leapt to his feet and tried to grab hold of her, but she wrenched herself away from him, throwing her hands up, as though trying to block him. Her screams grew louder.

There was a shout from somewhere in the distance.

"W-w-w-w," Neville was stammering, his eyes huge, staring in the direction of the entrance. Harry followed his gaze.

There, at the edge of the light that shone from their wands, a pair of large, yellow eyes glowed menacingly at them.

Suddenly, silence fell over the cave. Cassius' screams had abruptly stopped, and she froze, her eyes fixed on the werewolf that slowly creeped into full view.

Gasping, Crabbe let go of Pettigrew, dropping the man to the ground, and backed away, towards the others. Snape positioned himself in front of the students, trying to pull Cassius to him. She was just out of his reach, though, and in fact, seemed to be slowly inching forward, closer to the wolf.

All at once, Pettigrew leapt for his wand, and the werewolf lunged forward. Snape made another grab for Cassius, but there was no need - the wolf went after Pettigrew.

Colliding hard with the small man, the wolf forced him to the ground, snarling in his face. Pettigrew let out a yelp as his shoulder hit a stone, and the wolf reared up, throwing its head back and letting out a loud howl.

Cassius stood closeby, watching, unblinking, her face expressionless.

Pettigrew reached desperately for his wand, but the werewolf stopped him by sinking its teeth deep into his arm. The man screamed in pain, rolling onto his back, and swinging his fists at the wolf's head. The beast snapped its jaws, trying to catch the flying hands, and was met with a hard blow to the side of its head, which sent it reeling backwards. Pettigrew took that opportunity to snatch up his wand, and, his eyes falling on Cassius, he curled his lip and took aim.

"_Cru_--"

He didn't even manage to get half of the curse out, as the werewolf lunged once again, clamping its fierce jaws over Pettigrew's shoulder. Pettigrew let out a shriek, and twisted to point the wand at the creature. A brilliant flash of white light, and the wolf was sent flying, crashing into the stone wall. Pettigrew leapt to his feet, and without looking back, scurried out of the cave. Shouts were heard from outside, where the others had come out of their hiding places and were attempting to stop him from escaping. Curses and hexes were shouted, screams ripped through the air, and Dumbledore's bellowed order to "get back, just get back!" echoed through the night.

Neville whimpered as Snape tried to inch closer to Cassius, his arm stretching out as far as it would go to try and reach her. She stepped out of his reach, though, and moved slowly forward.

Her left arm hanging limply, uselessly at her side, her broken fingers curled into odd fists, her face bruised and bleeding in several places, her snapped ankle barely supporting her...Not feeling any pain, she limped slowly forward, her eyes fixed on the recovering werewolf, which stared back at her, its ears flattened to its head, its eyes somehow...searching.

"Cassius, no!" Snape cried, but she seemed not to hear him. She continued on, until she stood barely a foot away from the wolf.

And then she spoke.

Just one word.

One simple word, as she raised her bloody right hand, and laid the fingers gently on the werewolf's snout.

One simple word, just before her weakness took over, her knees gave out from under her, and she sank into unconsciousness...

"_Remus_..."

Snape rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground.


	16. Chapter 16 :: Melody of Promises Past

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.**

******_Thank you to karmonblake for the sweet review!! I haven't gotten many reviews at all, so I wondered if anyone was really interested in this, so thank you for inspiring me to tack on a few more chapters tonight...;) Hope you enjoy them..._**  


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**Sounds and images floated around Cassius as she slipped in and out of consciousness. The faces of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, peering down at her in a mixture of relief and concern; Snape sitting in the chair beside her bed, his head down, Dumbledore standing behind him with a comforting hand on his shaking shoulder; Hagrid's deep, friendly voice - "Yer gonna be alrigh', little love" - and McGonagall's stifled sob; Neville timidly laying a handful of flowers on the table beside her bed...

...the slow, rhythmic breathing of Snape, who lie sleeping beside her, his head resting on the wall above her pillow, his hands folded on his stomach.

Cassius turned painfully to face him, to curl up against his side. She laid her head on his arm, and placed a bandaged hand over his.

"Daddy...I love you, Daddy..."

Her eyes slid closed, and she fell at last into a peaceful sleep, her mind too exhausted to dream...

*

The sound of a flute slowly broke through the fog of her sleep, the familiar tune bringing her drifting into wakefulness. Her eyes opened, and what she saw brought the first smile she had had since the night she had told Snape that Minister Fudge had ruled in his favor.

Remus Lupin stood beside her bed, his eyes on hers, the flute held delicately to his lips. Cassius looked up at him, her bruised face seeming to shine. He finished the song he had been playing, and lowered the flute. He returned her smile.

"I remember when you played that song for me before," Cassius said clearly. Lupin's smile widened.

"In the Shrieking Shack," he said. "That time we had stayed out too late, and you couldn't return to the school, because the sun had risen."

"And you stayed there with me. Let my father take over your lessons for the day so you would be free," she added.

"You were so worried that Severus would be upset, and you couldn't rest, despite the fact that you were beyond the point of exhaustion--"

"--so you came back to the school, and returned with your flute. You played that song to help me fall asleep."

They stared at each other silently for a moment, their eyes locked, both still smiling. Lupin sat down on the edge of her bed, as Cassius struggled to push herself up into a sitting position. He helped her gently, and she leaned back against the wall. Her hands folded in her lap, she gazed at him with respect and adoration. The look in his eyes reflected the feelings.

"You came," Cassius said softly. He laid a hand on hers.

"Of course I did," he responded. "I swore long ago that I would always protect you, and I meant it. The moment I heard what had happened, I rushed about to finish my business, and made my way here."

Cassius' eyes lowered, her smile fading. "Remus..."

"Don't say it, Cassius."

She looked up at him, her eyes damp. "Why did you stay away for so long?"

He looked at her for a moment, and sighed. "I had no choice, love. I had important things I had to attend to..."

"For Dumbledore?" she asked softly. Lupin nodded. She lowered her gaze again to her hands, a single tear slipping down her cheek. He reached out and gently brushed the tear away, and hooked a finger under her chin to bring her face back up so that he could look her in the eyes.  
Brushing the hair from her face, he leaned closer so that she could hear him clearly. "I'm here now, Cassius. And I'm not going anywhere. Not until I can be absolutely sure that you are safe."

A glimmer of sad hope flashed in her eyes. "I'll never be safe, Remus..."

He smiled weakly. "Then I will never leave."

"Don't make promises that you know you cannot keep," Cassius whispered, shaking her head mournfully.

"Cassius," Lupin began, his voice sounding a bit strained, "you know how very important you are to me. You are one of the dearest friends I have ever had. Not since I was separated from my school friends had anyone been so selflessly kind to me."

Cassius forced a small smile. "I found in you an ally, an understanding soul...We have so many things in common..."

"And it's those things that have forged this bond between us," he said, placing a hand on her swollen cheek. "Nothing will ever break this connection we have, not even if I have to be far away for a long time. If ever you need me, I will always return to your side to keep you safe."

She looked into his eyes, into his soul, and heard his heart in his words. She gave him another smile, a real smile, and felt at ease.

The best friend she had ever had was back, and he was going to stay this time...

...if only for a short while.


	17. Chapter 17 :: Playing the Hero

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.**

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**An hour later, Lupin found himself the center of attention at the breakfast feast. Preferring to sit among the students rather than take his former place with the teachers, he sat between Harry and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. All around him, students were firing questions at him.

"How did you find out?"

"How did you get here?"

"Why did you come?"

Lupin chuckled to himself, trying to keep up with the inquiries.

"Dumbledore himself sent me a message. I Apparated to Hogsmeade, and walked the rest of the way. Why did I come? Now, _that's_ an interesting story," he rattled off. Leaning forward, he put his elbows on the table, and fixed his eyes on Ginny, who sat across from him, watching him intently. "I'm sure by now that most, if not all, of you know what I am."

Several students nodded, and he continued, turning around in his seat.

"Back when I got the job as a teacher here," he began, "I had the honor of meeting young Cassius right after my interview with Dumbledore, just as I was leaving. My first impression of her was that she was a very sweet girl, with alot of interesting quirks about her. The way she smiled and winked when she shook my hand and told me she was looking forward to the start of term, and asked if I was willing to provide lessons after dark, as the other teachers did...Of course, Dumbledore had told me all about her, so that I would be ready, but nothing he'd said had prepared me for actually coming face-to-face with her. There was something about that girl that just jumped out at me..."

"It's her eyes," Harry said softly, a faraway look on his face.

Lupin nodded. "Yes, she does have beautiful eyes. But it's something that's _in_ those eyes that gets you. It's like...a wisdom...a longing...a hidden sadness...When she looks at you, it's almost as though--"

"She can see right into your soul," Harry finished for him. Lupin looked down at him, smiling.

"You've felt it, too, then." It was more of a statement than a question. Harry nodded, grinning widely. Lupin laughed to himself again, and patted Harry on the shoulder.

"Anyway," he continued. "A few weeks went by after term began, and I got to know Cassius during our evening lessons. I found her to be quite an intriguing young lady, always polite, and kinder than most people you'll meet. I was well aware of her Villdawick bloodline, so I knew the pain she felt from being not quite human. But I didn't let on to her that I understood. I didn't tell her about myself, I was afraid it would frighten the poor girl. I had no idea that the moment she discovered the truth, it would be the beginning of a wonderful friendship."

Leaning back against the table, he looked up toward the ceiling, reliving the memories.

"One night, while I was out prowling the Forest, I was met with her. The wolf had gotten its hands on a young Centaur, and Cassius came to the rescue. I don't remember much about it, except that Cassius showed great strength as she fought me off."

"As I recall," came a voice nearby, "you put up a hell of a fight yourself there, Remus."

Some of the students jumped, and everyone turned to see Cassius and Snape standing at the edge of the crowd that had gathered around Lupin. An opening formed quickly, as students moved out of the way, and Snape carefully led Cassius to the empty seat that Harry had just leapt out of to make available for her. She was limping badly, and Snape had both arms around her, supporting her as she walked. Her broken bones were mended, Madam Pomfrey had seen to that right away. But she was still very beat up, and the Cruciatous Curse had effects that could linger for a very long time afterwards. Harry knew this all too well, from his own experience on the receiving end.

Snape helped Cassius gently lower herself onto the bench, and straightened her robes over her knees for her. Sighing with exasperation, she batted his hands away.

"Alright, Daddy. I'm fine," she said, smiling up at him. He straightened, and looked down at her with concern in his eyes.

"Are you certain, little love?" he asked. "You can come and join me at the Head Table if you like."

Cassius shook her head, and reached her bandaged hand out to take his. Her other hand found Harry's and she laced her fingers through his. Harry smiled at her. "I want to stay here with my friends."

"Don't worry, Severus," Lupin said jovially, laying an arm on the table behind Cassius. "I'll keep an eye on your little girl."

Snape glared at him disdainfully, his lips pursed. He looked back at Cassius, and his eyes softened. "Very well. I will see you in class, darling. Try not to be late."

With a quick kiss to her forehead, Snape turned and swept away, heading toward the teachers' table.

Once he had gone, Harry knelt beside Cassius, gazing adoringly up at her. She returned his smile, squeezing his hand. She turned to face Lupin.

"Go on, then, Remus. Please continue," she said sweetly.

Lupin grinned at her, touching her shoulder briefly in a light hug.

"Where was I?" He thought for a moment. "Ah, yes. Our girl here gave me a good once-over to save the Centaur, and succeeded in..._convincing_...the wolf to move on. I had thought later that the close encounter would be the last time we would meet under such circumstances, but I had been wrong."

"You were the werewolf that she saved," breathed Hermione, her smile bright as the pieces of the story came together for her.

Lupin nodded. "I had stumbled across...well, _into_ is more like it...a fairly deep pit near the edge of the Forest--"

"It was the same cavern that you and Draco found me in, Harry," Cassius interrupted.

"So it's still there then? I'd have thought it would have been filled by now...Oh, well, as I was saying. I fell in the pit - er, _cavern_ - and had no way of getting out. Cassius came along, and heard my howls of distress. She didn't even hesitate to pull out her wand and lift me out. She conjured some ropes and bound me quite impressively, then took me to the one place she thought was best to keep me in that state - the Shrieking Shack."

Ron looked at Cassius incredulously. "You got in there without getting beaten to a pulp by the Whomping Willow?"

Cassius laughed. "I knew how to get past that ruddy old tree. Dumbledore had told me how. I went there quite often. I found it quite a peaceful place to be alone."

Lupin smiled broadly at her. "Anyway, she took me there, removed the bindings, and then she stayed with me. The entire night. When the moon had gone and the sun had risen, and I transformed back into my normal self, I was quite surprised to find a raven perched on top of a wardrobe. Even more surprised when it turned out to be Cassius."

"You weren't afraid?" Harry asked, a hint of pride in his voice. He leaned closer to her, releasing her hand, and slipped his arm around her waist awkwardly. She put an arm around his shoulders and returned the show of affection, shaking her head.

"Course not. I knew his bark was worse than his bite," she said teasingly, winking at Lupin. "Besides, I rather enjoyed myself, swooping down and flying around his head, just out of his reach. Got on his nerves a bit, I must admit. That was the fun of it."

Lupin laughed out loud, putting his hand on the back of her head and giving it a gentle shake. She winced slightly, and he quickly pulled his hand away. She smiled at him, though, and poked him in the ribs.

"He returned the favor, which I hadn't expected. Since the sun had come up, I couldn't leave the shack to return to the school. So I sent him on his way, and asked him to let my dad know I was alright. I was surprised when he returned a short while later. He had asked Daddy to take over his lessons, and he came to spend the day with me."

"I wasn't exactly great company, I'll admit, but I wasn't about to leave her alone there after she had been so kind to me," Lupin said. Cassius poked him again.

"Oh, shut it, Remus. You were _excellent_ company, and I appreciated your presense. Even if I _was_ asleep most of the time."

"You must have taken a really big book with you to keep yourself busy while she slept, then," said Seamus, laughing.

Lupin shook his head. "No. I had only my flute with me. It didn't matter, though. I just watched her sleep."

"The _whole day_?!" Ron asked in amazement. Lupin nodded.

"And that, my friends," said Cassius cheerfully, "was the start of the closest friendship I've ever had."

"From that point on, we found peace and consolation in each other, turning to each other when we needed to discuss our troubles," Lupin added. "We grew very close, and I swore to Cassius that I would always protect her. That is why I came now, because she needed me." He gave Cassius a warm smile, which she returned with a sparkle in her eye.

"Although we all...appreciate...your playing the hero," said Snape coldly, making his way through the crowd again, "I can assure you that my daughter would have been rescued, even without your help."

Lupin waved his hand, as though brushing the words away. Snape glared at him angrily for a moment, before turning his dark eyes on Harry, who still had an arm around Cassius. Harry stared back, but did not move. Snape relented, though reluctantly so, and looked down at Cassius.

"I would offer to escort you to class, my dear, but I am fairly certain that your friends would like to have the honors," he said, his tone softening. Cassius nodded, giving him a smile. He inclined his head slightly, and continued on his way out of the Great Hall.

With a sigh, Lupin rose. "As much as I hate to put an end to this trip down memory lane," he said, "you all should be getting on to class. Harry - " he looked at Harry " - I trust you to get our girl there safely."

Harry stood, and helped Cassius get to her feet carefully. "Course I will," he said, smiling.

Lupin nodded. He placed his hands gently on Cassius' shoulders, and peered into her face. "I have to go and talk to Dumbledore now, but I will see you later. We're all supposed to meet this afternoon, between lessons. Your friends will bring you."

Cassius' lip curled up into a half smile. "Alright, Remus. I'll see you then." Lupin patted her cheek softly, and left them.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Cassius - leaning heavily on Harry's arm as she went - joined the mass of students filing out of the Hall, and headed toward the dungeons for their Potions lessons.


	18. Chapter 18 :: Fun With Potions

**Disclaimer: 'The Secret Tower' is an ongoing 'Harry Potter' fanfic series, and is not meant to be an exact replica of the original series. Aside from a few, all characters were created by, and are property of, J.K. Rowling, author of the original 'Harry Potter' series. I claim no rights to any persons, places, or spells depicted in this story that were originally penned by Mrs. Rowling, only those that are of my own creation.**

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**It never took long for Snape to get the Gryffindors and Slytherins settled down so that he could begin the day's lesson, and that morning was no exception. The students quietly took their seats, and set out their books. All, that is, except for Cassius, who was shifting about as she tried to get comfortable on her stool. Watching her, Snape waved his wand and muttered a cushioning charm. Her face instantly relaxed, and she smiled gratefully at him.

"Today we will be completing our memory potions," Snape said loudly, standing at the teachers' lecturn. "They have been simmering for the past two days, and the mists have turned green, as expected. Pay close attention as you add the shrivelfigs. If the mist begins to whiten, you've obviously done something wrong." He looked down at Cassius. "As you are behind in this lesson, I'm certain you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Mr. Longbottom there?"

Cassius nodded, giving him one of her beautiful smiles. She cast a glance over at Neville. "Of course not. I'd be more than happy to help him."

"Not _help_ him," Snape replied. "Just make sure he doesn't create any of those disasters he's so apt to causing."

Neville gulped nervously, and tried to concentrate on the shrivelfig he was cutting up. Snape watched him for a moment, then turned and began making his way around the class, looking over the students' shoulders, praising and criticizing their work.

Harry was stirring the contents of his cauldron, watching the small bubbles rising and popping, when he heard a soft snort. He looked up, and saw Neville and Hermione struggling not to laugh at something. Hermione's head was on the table, her shoulders shaking, and Neville's eyes were squeezed nearly shut, his lips pressed tightly together. His face was a faint shade of red. Turning his eyes, Harry saw what they were laughing at - Cassius was making some strange gesture, and mouthing something. It took a minute before Harry realized what she was doing...

_She was imitating Snape!_

Harry bit his own lip to keep from laughing, but quickly regained his composure when Snape turned around to face the trio. Cassius must have sensed that he was going to look, because her hands were already resting on the table, and she was smiling innocently up at him. Snape eyed her cautiously for a moment, then returned his attention to Crabbe's cauldron.

As soon as his back was turned, Cassius' hands moved in the same way that his did when he pulled his robes closed in front of himself, and crossed his arms. She looked at Neville with a stern, penetrating glare, her mouth pulled back in a sneer of distaste. Neville's hand flew up to his mouth, and his face reddened even more.

Harry watched her with amusement. Ron had noticed, as well, and he, too, was struggling to keep from bursting into giggles.

Snape whipped around again, his dark eyes fixing on Cassius, but again she had anticipated his move, and she was looking at Neville's shrivelfig, pointing to it as though giving the boy a tip. Snape's eyes narrowed suspisciously, and he turned slowly away, moving his attention on to Parvati's work.

Cassius flipped her head around, and made as though brushing her hair from her face, her expression sour, but her eyes twinkling. She mouthed something, and Hermione squeaked and began to bang her head on the table.

Snape whirled around, his face twisted in anger, his eyes on Hermione.

"Is there a problem, Miss Granger?" he snarled. Hermione straightened, her cheeks flushed, and shook her head slowly. She was trying hard to look serious.

Cassius sat back on her stool, and raised an eyebrow at Snape. "I think Neville's toad may have tried to climb up her leg, Dad. I'm sure it must have tickled."

Snape glared at her for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Try to keep your animal under control, Mr. Longbottom. As much as I enjoy doing so, I don't want to have to take any points away from Gryffindor for your...carelessness."

Neville nodded, and Snape returned to his rounds.

As soon as his back was turned, the tightly contained laughter exploded. Hermione leaned forward, putting her head back on the table. Neville nearly fell off of his stool, and Cassius was doubled over in a fit of outrageous laughter. Ron nearly fell into his cauldron, and Harry himself felt tears coming to his eyes. Snape turned on them, fuming. They all quieted instantly, except for Cassius, who was trying hard to straighten herself, still giggling. Harry silently willed her to calm herself before points were taken, but then something very unusual happened...

Snape grinned, and went back to what he was doing. Cassius looked over her shoulder at Harry, who was staring at the teacher in astonishment. He looked back at her, and she winked at him, giving him a smile.

Harry shook his head in disbelief. All he could imagine was that Snape had been so relieved to see her having fun, that he, for once, had decided to be nice.

Or so he thought. At the end of class, as the students were beginning to file out, Snape called out from his desk.

"Before I forget, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for disrupting my class."

Cassius chuckled, and, holding onto Harry's arm for support, she smiled at Snape. He returned the smile, and shook his head at her.

With that, Harry, Cassius, Ron, Hermione, and Neville left the room together, and headed for their next class. The dungeon's halls echoed with their laughter as they went.

* * *

_**I felt encouraged to post more, thanks to the reviews -- bring them on, they feed the fire under my butt to get this story posted!! =D**_

_**~S.P**  
_


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